Poll from last week shows that Newton’s third law also applies to hype – for every hype there is equal and opposite hatred. And few phone launches this year have been as hyped as the nothing phone (1).
That’s not to say things look bad, necessarily. 1 in 10 people in the poll have already pre-ordered a unit, meaning they jumped through all the hoops of the invite system.
1 in 3 people are waiting for reviews to make a decision. That’s reasonable considering that this is the company’s first smartphone and only its second product ever. It has to prove itself, and we’ll get to that in a moment.
Those who like the phone (1) cite the design as an advantage – it certainly has a glimpse into a time when many new releases look downright generic. It also has a nice premium construction with an aluminum frame sandwiched between two panels of GG5. And it doesn’t skip wireless charging. The software support schedule (3 years of OS updates, 4 years of patches) is also a blessing. All this makes it stand out in the mid-range.
Then there is the Glyph interface. Some doubt how useful it actually is, but people talk about it – it’s an attention grabber, which (we suspect) was the point. There’s also the Nothing launcher, which some have tested on their current phones, but it’s not that interesting.
That said, most voters in the poll have no interest in the Nothing phone (1). Many commentators mentioned the phones they would prefer – Samsungs, Pocos, Xiaomis even Asus. That’s probably good for nothing right now, which should focus on keeping up with demand.
But the company has to prove itself – many expressed a sentiment along the lines of “not this one, but maybe the phone (2)”. It doesn’t help that there is no variety. Okay, some brands are launching too many phones, but nothing has the opposite problem – if the phone (1) is too big or too small or something else for you, you’re looking at another brand.
Love it or hate it, the Nothing phone (1) made a splash when launched. We receive our unit and working on a review, so stay tuned for our verdict on the phone.
